Faculty Spotlight: Jennifer Hereth

Jennifer Hereth first became interested in art at the age of 5 or 6 and jokes that
her father regrets buying her a large box of 100 Crayola crayons with the sharpener.

"I had a great deal of imagination and a great deal of wild dreams at night," she
said. "I wanted to see my world actualized."

Hereth, whose mother also was an artist, earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master
of Fine Arts degrees at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she ended
up teaching in Foundations and the Painting and Drawing Department for 17 years. While
there, she was in charge of its Early College Program; was co-director of Oxbow, the
summer school in Saugatuck, Mich.; was director of the Mexico Program in San Miguel
de Allende; and led 11 study trips around the world, including to Egypt.

"I loved teaching at a college connected to the museum and would often meet my students
in the Art Institute after lunch to fill up our coffers with real painting surfaces,"
she said. "I loved helping students to figure out what role art was going to play
in their lives and how to organize themselves to be long-term artists for those who
wished. On the study trips, I loved helping students learn to be culturally-sensitive
travelers and Americans in the world. At Oxbow, I loved setting up an artist retreat
for intensive artmaking, which is rare in an artist's life."

Hereth began working at College of DuPage in 1994, where her love of teaching continues.
She believes in the words of Clarrissa Pinkola Estes, a Jungian therapist and poet,
who said, "Before you ever pick up a pencil, or a bow, you are already an artist."

"I do believe everyone is an artist and as the teacher, I have the great privilege
and joy of helping each student discover what it is!" she said. "I love to teach college
because I believe it opens up worlds to all students, whether you become an artist
or not. I love to teach at COD because my students work very hard to prioritize education
in very busy lives and are very kind and giving people."

Among the many projects she has helped to spearhead at COD is IArtistsinfluence, which
supports three charities, undertakes many community projects, is 100 percent volunteer
and includes more than 100 COD art students.

"IArtists New Orleans donates paintings to families in the 9th ward of New Orleans
when they move back in their homes, even now when it's been more than five years after
Katrina. We have not forgotten! The families get to pick out what painting they want,
and so far over 100 paintings have been donated for this project," she explained.

"IArtists Take Flight Leadership Aviation is amazing. Out of student Jackie Withers'
murals of Tuskegee Airmen, now underprivileged teens are getting their pilot's licenses
through Jackie's persistence with scholarship funds through corporations and our support.
Unbelievable! IArtists Teenage Archetype Cards is a therapeutic tool developed by
my art classes and is now being used by over 400 therapists across the globe."

Through all of her work with students, Hereth hopes they develop a sense of belonging
to their culture.

"I hope they know they are artists, can enjoy as many ways as that manifests itself
in their lives, and that they have learned about our culture's art history and feel
empowered by being in the know," she said. "I hope they know that community is very
important in the arts, for support and for sharing one's joys and accomplishments.

"I love to teach because I love to enable people to actualize their visions, their
dreams, just as I did as a child. I hope they see the art of life is the most beautiful
art of all -- like in a child's imagination."

College of DuPage Addison Center

College of DuPage Addison Center is located in the Technology Center of DuPage (TCD) on the east side of Swift Road, north of North Avenue and south of Army Trail Road. Swift Road is approximately 3/4 mile west of Route 53 or I-355.

College of DuPage Lisle location

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College of DuPage Naperville Center

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College of DuPage Westmont Center

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